


coolest girl in (york)town

by pissedofsandwich



Series: found families and biological ones [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Enterprise Family, Gen, M/M, Sulu Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-08-07 05:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7702477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pissedofsandwich/pseuds/pissedofsandwich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is why remembering your student's last name is important. </p>
<p>"Um," Demora looks unsure. “Why do you all look like fish?”</p>
<p>Gaping, starstruck, and dumbfounded? Yes, exactly like a fish.</p>
<p>In which the crew of the Enterprise crashes Demora's Career Day. Sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/7608697">Little Dumpling</a> Can be read as a stand alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	coolest girl in (york)town

**Author's Note:**

> many, many thanks to [popoyoy11](http://archiveofourown.org/users/popoyoy11/pseuds/popoyoy11) who makes everything i write better. all remaining mistakes are mine. this is meant to be a part of the [benkaru 30 day challenge](http://empresshoshisato.tumblr.com/post/148393953651/empresshoshisato-benkaru-30-day-challenge-this) day 3, but i got a little carried away. sorry. 
> 
> this is sequel, but if you're too lazy to read little dumpling here's what you need to know:  
> 1) sulu promised to come to demora's career day, but he got marooned on altamid and thus couldnt attend.  
> 2) krall's attack on yorktown canceled career day.  
> 3) i imagine that after jim's birthday party, there's a lot starfleet wants to talk about with the crew. and thus they all have to constantly attend meetings, debriefings, hearings, funerals for their lost members, etc. theyre all busy.

Risa Sulaeman was born into a family of educators. Her father is a lecturer in her homeland, so is her mother. It's only ideal that she becomes a teacher, too—stationed here in the best starbase in all of the Federation, with a tiny upside-down apartment in the heart of Yorktown and a job at Yorktown Intergalactic All-Inclusive Kindergarten.

She has to admit that it sucks that a week ago their school was blown up during Krall’s attack, cancelling what was supposed to be the school’s first ever Career Day, but Commodore Paris works fast on rebuilding the city. Not even a week later, the school is already back in session—with Career Day 2.0 planned in the near future.

As a kindergarten teacher, she has built up an incredible level of patience and tolerance to the antics that toddlers get up to. Human and alien children, when it comes down to it, are not very different. They question every vocabulary you use, every building around them, every species that walks past them. They play tag, tease, get mad, and make each other cry for various reasons that are, frankly, stupid.  Like right now.

"I'm not lying!"

"Then why didn't your papa come?"

"Because he's saving the galaxy with my uncles and aunt!"

The other children laugh. Someone is bound to end up crying in five minutes. Risa sighs.

"What is it?" She bounds over, hands on her hips. Her students have taken to think of it as the 'you're going to be scolded' pose. They all fall quiet instantly.

Demora, one of the four humans in her class, is the one who answers. "They called me a liar!" she complains in a high pitched whine.

"But it's true!" Kezia insists. "You're a liar!”

"I'm not!" Demora yells out, her eyes shining. Risa quickly puts her hand on Demora's shoulder before the dam can break. "I'm not a liar. You believe me, right, Ms. Sulaeman?" Demora turns to her, tugging the sleeves of her jacket. "My papa is a hero. He saved Earth from Nero! With Captain James _Tee_ Kirk!"

"Of course I believe you," Risa says.

Since this is a Federation base, many Starfleet officers take advantage of their primary housing benefit to move their families and start a new life here. A large number of her students are children of Starfleet officers. Demora's story is one that she's heard plenty of times before.

"Your _other_ papa, right?" If Risa remembers correctly, Demora's raised by two human males, but she rarely sees her other father, if ever. Just Mr. Jung, picking her up after school and bringing her forgotten lunch. Mr. Jung couldn't be the hero Demora's talking about; according to the database, he works as a full-time father. Her other father... Risa can't remember. She has over forty students to attend to; no one can expect her to remember the personal details of every single one of her students. That being said, Demora's other father is probably just a yeoman or something. Can't be that important.

Still, a father is a daughter's a hero so Risa won’t crush this little girl's dreams. That goes against every single kindergarten teacher's code.

Demora nods excitedly. "Yeah! Papa Hikaru is awesome. He fought aliens on the Romulan bomb-thing with his cool sword!" She demonstrates by slashing and stabbing the air with an invisible sword, her little arms moving about excitedly. "He saved Captain James _Tee_ Kirk and flew the Enterprise out of a black hole!"

Hikaru sounds familiar. Risa's heard that somewhere, read it in the newspaper, back before she transferred to Yorktown. She'll have to take a look at Demora's files when she has the time.

"Captain James Tee Kirk doesn't need to be saved. Have you ever read the Enterprise comics? He's—indees-truc-tible!" Kezia says, drawing out the last word, looking pleased with herself. "Do you know what that means?"

Demora's face flushes, an obvious sign that it's the first time she's heard of that word. Kezia starts laughing, and her little minions join in. They've started booing at the poor girl, too. Risa suppresses another sigh. Well, Demora's files will have to wait.

Right now, she has to make sure the girl in question doesn’t end up weeping.

-

For the most part, Kezia and her friends let it go. But as Career Day draws closer, they've started teasing Demora about it again. Thankfully, none of it attributes to name-calling, which would compel her to call for a meeting with their parents. Demora has learned to ignore their taunts, but it saddens Risa to see her running to Mr. Jung's arms at the end of the day with downturned lips, barely holding back tears. Risa keeps reminding her students that being mean to a friend is a bad behavior. She even promises to take their gold stars away if they continue their spiteful actions and give them to Demora.

This silences them momentarily. These students are very attached to their gold stars, awarded to them when they've done a particular task extraordinarily. She supposes that having your stars removed is the kindergarten equivalent of being demoted. Demora currently has seven in the gardening field, the most stars ever acquired in that specific subject, as if she has an expert botanist teaching her at home. Maybe Mr. Jung has a hobby. Maybe her father is a botanist on the Enterprise.

Speaking of, Risa hasn't gotten around to reading Demora's files. She still has a lot of paperwork to do, especially after Krall's attack. She hopes no evil alien would try to rule the galaxy today. She'd hate for Career Day to be postponed for the second time. Her school has just finished being rebuilt.

On D-Day, Risa dons her best outfit and puts on a bright red lipstick. She pauses on the door, debating between a pair of professional-looking sleek platform shoes and black stilettos, and decides to put on the latter. She likes to look dashing.

She is the first one to arrive at school, as always. She is always way too early, that the janitor decides to give her a spare key in case she's arrived and he's still at home. She lets herself in, takes a quick, thorough scan of each of the classroom, and goes to replicate some coffee in the teacher's lounge. She pulls out her PADD as her coffee cools down, and thinks it would be a good time to get herself acquianted with Demora's _other_ father. Just as she's about to access her files, however, she hears the squeak of shoes echo in the empty hallways. Risa blinks. Those squeaky shoes can only belong to a toddler. Squeaky shoes are common within her students. Which means one of her students is here.

Whoever they are, they will either grow up to be an overachiever or just really damn excited to show off their parents. Risa decides to check it out, and is floored to see none other than Demora, sitting alone in her classroom with her hands on her cheeks, visibly crying.

Risa has been a teacher for over three years now, and still the sight of a little kid crying makes her chest tight. She never gets used to it.

"Demora, dear? Is that you?" she asks, announcing herself carefully as to not startle her student.

Demora jumps, clearly not expecting anyone to be at school at this hour. "What are you doing at school so early?" Risa says, approaching her slowly. Demora hurriedly wipes her tears off, facing Risa with trembling lips. "Where's your dad? And your other dad?"

"I—" she hiccups.

"Sssh, sssh," Risa reaches over to rub her back gently. "I need you to breathe with me, can you do that?" Demora nods absently, her small body still shaking with each sob. “Okay, I need you to breathe like me, like this.” She puts Demora’s little hand on her chest and begins a breathing exercise that she learned at middle school. In. Hold, count to three. Out. When Demora’s breathing is a little more even, Risa chances another question.

"So, ready to tell me what's up?"

Demora sniffs, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "I ran away," she says.

"Did you fight with your dads?"

The little girl nods weakly. "I heard Papa and Daddy arguing. Daddy's mad Papa can't come. He has work to do—but he always has work to do! Daddy says he's on vacation but why is Papa always working?" Demora’s voice cracks at the question, close to tears once again. "Now everyone will think that I'm a liar."

The logical solution right now is to call Demora's other dad and teleport him here. Unfortunately, that's beyond Risa's abilities. She spreads her arms and Demora crashes into her chest, crying again. She makes soothing sushing sounds, rubbing the top of Demora's head gently. "I'm sorry your papa couldn't come," Risa tells her sincerely when they pull away. "I promise, anyone who calls you a liar today, will get their stars taken off."

"No," Demora mumbles. "They'll hate me more."

_Children_ , Risa thinks. Sometimes they can be even crueler than adults.

"Okay, then uh.” Risa wracks her breath for ideas. “How about we make a presentation? You can put your pictures with your papa in them, tell the class about what your papa does with Captain Kirk, all the things you do together," Risa suggests. "Do you want to? You and your daddy can go together.”

Demora lights up. "I have a lot of pictures here!" she beams excitedly, pulling out her starter PADD.

"That's awesome!" Risa's comm beeps. "Just a minute," she holds up one finger to Demora. "Why don't you pick five? When I come back, we can start putting together the presentation." Demora nods, and Risa slithers away to a corner to answer the comm. Mr. Jung's face appears, looking distressed.

"Ms. Sulaeman," Mr. Jung greets. "I'm sorry to bother you this early, but have you, by any chance, seen Demora?"

"Demora's here at school, don't worry," Risa assures quickly. Mr. Jung lets out a relieved breath, his face visibly relaxing, and holds up his index finger to Risa. He says something to someone out of the screen, too faint for Risa to hear. She thinks she sees a flash of yellow, but she might be just imagining it. Mr. Jung turns back to Risa, flooding her with _thank you_ s and _I_ _’_ _m sorrys_. "It's alright, Mr. Jung, it's my duty."

"Thank you," Mr. Jung repeats once again. "I really shouldn't have shouted—it must've woken her up. I nearly lost myself when I went into her room and didn't find her there. I was so worried."

"Like I said, Mr. Jung, it's my duty," Risa says. "As Demora's teacher, though, I must advise you to be more careful next time."

"Of course," Mr. Jung replies apologetically. "I should probably go there right now huh."

Risa nods. "I'll see you soon, Mr. Jung."

Mr. Jung cuts off the comm, and Risa goes back to Demora. The girl is still glued to her PADD, face scrunched up in concentration.

“Are you done, honey?”

"No! Not yet! Give me five more minutes!” Demora says, eyes wide and pleading, holding up five fingers to Risa’s face.

Risa chuckles. "Okay, just call me when you're ready, alright?"

It turns out that Demora is quite creative at creating a presentation. The effects that she applies for her presentations are a bit tacky, by an adult's standards, but toddlers will appreciate the swirly texts and fire explosions in her presentation.

"Are you going to let me see the pictures you chose?" Risa asks, sitting down next to Demora, trying to take a peek. She quickly cradles her PADD, away from Risa's eyesight.

"No, Miss.” Demora shakes her head, smiling. “I want it to be a _surprise_.”

By now, other students have already started to trail in with their parents in tow. Risa spots Kezia from the distance. She is accompanied by her two human lawyer parents, and she looks straight for Demora, who hasn't moved an inch from where she's sitting. Before Kezia can say anything, Risa intercepts, approaching the three of them with formal pleasantries. Blocked, Kezia can only hang around at her parents' side, and Risa makes sure no one messes with Demora until finally the clock strikes 1000, and it's time to start the event.

The young teacher eyes the door discreetly, a slight frown on her face. Why isn't Mr. Jung here yet?

"Ms. Sulaeman," calls one of her Xantoxian students. "Shouldn't we get started?"

"Yes, absolutely," Risa nods, and half-heartedly delivers her opening remarks. She calls up the first name on her attendance list, but only half listens, distracted. This is not exactly professional behavior for a teacher; she could be accused of favoritism. But she can’t dismiss the worry gnawing at the back of her mind. If Demora ends up alone on Career Day, she's going to have some serious talk with her fathers about negligence.

One by one, each parent goes up to the front and gives a brief monologue about their profession. An Orion hands out freshly baked goods from her bakery, followed by a rather amusing rendition of the ancient Earth lullaby _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ by an enthusiastic space opera singer. An El-Aurian, typically, explains that he works as a therapist, and that he is very, very good at listening. More names are called, until finally, Demora's turn is next. Risa tries not to bite her nails, a bad habit she adopted when anxious. Did the transporter break down? Is Mr. Jung's organs scrambled somewhere in between planets due to an error in the codes? What if—

"Ms. Sulaeman," Demora's voice pulls her out of her head. "Shouldn't it be my turn now?" The black-haired girl is clutching her PADD close to her chest, and in that moment, she looks so small. So small that Risa is afraid she would get stepped on.

Risa’s eyes shift between the door and the girl. “But your dad isn't here yet," she says. Which seems to be the wrong thing to say as it prompts Demora’s vicious bullies to make a jab.

"Where's your daddy, Demora?" Kezia sneers, in the tone that suggests she's really hoping Mr. Jung—and the other Mr. Jung—wouldn't show up.

"Yeah, where's your daddy?"

"Have you been lying to us the whole time?"

"Liar!" Kezia starts. The other kids, like a flock of sheep, follows their leader and stars chanting _. Liar, liar, liar_. Demora's face flushes, eyes shiny and her hand that’s not holding her PADD clenches into a little fist at the side of her body.

Right, Risa’s had enough of this.

"Please, ladies, gentlemen, and gender-neutral parents, control your children!" Risa raises her voice. The children in front of her flinch, cowering back to their parents. This must come as a surprise, especially to her students—she almost never yell at them. "Kezia, Oolie, Grant, Vix, and everyone who made fun of Demora,” she seethes. “I'm taking a gold star out of your scores, and giving it to Demora. How many times have I told you? Teasing someone, calling them names, bullying them is very unbecoming of—"

Demora puts her hand on Risa's arm. The young teacher looks down, surprised. "It's okay, Miss," Demora says, meeting her eyes with a steel gaze that Risa has only ever seen on Starfleet officers before. "I have this cool presentation that will make them know I'm not a liar."

Instantly, Risa feels her heart clench. For how much a child could be cruel, there's an immeasurable pureness to a child that will never cease to surprise you. Wordlessly, Risa hooks Demora’s PADD to the projector. She hears whispers among the parents, some reprimanding their children, some muttering pitifully—where are her parents?

_Well_ , Risa thinks, looking at the PADD, _here they are._

As soon as the PADD is connected, a holo picture is projected, and the class falls silent. In the picture, a smiling Demora sits on Mr. Jung's shoulders. They're in a field, the scenery providing them a good look at the Golden Gate Bridge, and beside Mr. Jung—is a face that Risa has seen in the news plenty of times. In fact, she saw that face just last night, while scrolling through the newsfeed before she retired to sleep. The face of Starfleet's number-one pilot, hero of the Narada, Khan, and Krall incidents, helmsman of the USS Enterprise: Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu. 

That's it. That's why the name sounds so familiar.

Risa’s jaw promptly falls to the floor.

"Good morning, everyone," Demora greets happily. "My name is Demora Jung-Sulu, and these are my parents, Benjamin Jung and Hikaru Sulu. I call him Daddy," she points at Mr. Jung—who has been Hikaru Sulu's fucking _husband_ the whole time, what the hell, Risa _should_ really have read Demora's files this morning, "And I call him Papa," she points at Hikaru Sulu.

This is why remembering your student's last name is important.

"Um," Demora looks unsure. “Why do you all look like fish?”

Gaping, starstruck, and dumbfounded? Yes, exactly like a fish.

"Should I continue, Miss?" She glances at Risa, looking for support.

Risa recovers herself, opens her mouth to speak, and is immediately interrupted by a loud rumbling sound coming from outside. Disturbed, the young teacher peers out of the window—and is positively sure she must be drunk on illegal Andorian ale.

In the parking lot, a car is pulling up. Not just any car, but an antique 21st century Corvette. Risa sees it every day on her way to the hovercar station—as a display at Earth History Museum. Not fully functioning like _this_. It's not just the car that made this entrance so gobsmacking—the people getting out of it are the icing on the metaphorical shock-inducing cake.

Namely, the command crew of the USS Enterprise.

Demora's eyes brighten.

Hurried footsteps on the corridor, and a few blinks later, the door bangs open. Hikaru Sulu stands in front of them, in all his form-fitting blue uniform glory, tailed by a harried-looking Mr. Jung. Her first thought is, holy shit, and her second thought is, this would’ve been so much easier if Mr. Jung had adopted his husband’s last name.

"Good morning. Apologies for the tardiness, and also for the pollution," Hikaru Sulu says, panting slightly. "The transporters broke down, the hovercars are stuck in traffic—“

"Papa!" Demora bounces over to her dads. One of them is Hikaru Sulu. Risa has been teaching the daughter of a decorated war hero _this whole time_. Demora throws herself to her papa and Hikaru Sulu is quick to take her into her arms, peppering her forehead with kisses. "You made it!" She squeals in delight.

"Brought along your uncles and aunt, too," Mr. Benjamin ‘The whole time I'm married to the best pilot in the universe’ Jung pipes in, grinning. As if on cue, Captain James T. Kirk pokes his head in, his eyes bluer than Risa has ever seen them from the screen of her television.

"Sorry, mind if we crash?" Captain Kirk asks, throwing a grin at the crowd. "We're officially her godparents. That counts as parents, right?"

 Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu moves to the side to give space for—oh god, there's more. Captain Kirk is joined by the rest of the Enterprise Seven (adopting a term she saw in a tabloid a few days back), and Risa is positively speechless.

"Uh," Lieutenant Sulu starts when it becomes clear that everyone in the room is content to just stare at them the whole day. "Should we resume the,” his eyes drift over the PADD and his face blown out on the holo screen, “presentation?"

It's like a switch has been turned on again in Risa's head. Sheepishly, she nods, embarrassed at the fact that she probably isn't making the best impression. "Why don't you gentlemen pick up where Demora left off?" Risa suggests.

Demora beams. "Papa, can you tell about the Romulan bomb-thing? Please!"

Lieutenant Sulu chuckles. “Well since you asked so nicely,” he says, ruffling his daughter’s hair. Discreetly, Risa can see him nodding respectfully at Lieutenant-Commander Spock, who gives him—Risa must be drunk—the barest hint of a smile. He strides to the front of the class, gracing the classroom with a charming polite smile. Lieutenant Sulu introduces himself and apologizes again for the disturbance.

"The Romulan bomb-thing that Demora referred to is not actually a bomb, but rather, a drill," the pilot recalls. He goes to recount the whole story, in a matter-of-fact way that doesn't glorify what he does. It doesn't make it sound less heroic still. At the part where Lieutenant Sulu describes falling from the drill without a parachute, and Captain Kirk, not yet a captain at the time, diving after him, Pavel Chekov grins and quips, "If you truly want to know who the real hero of that incident is," he says, stepping out to stand beside Sulu, "he's standing right here."

The rest of the crew protests almost immediately. Captain Kirk rolls his eyes and Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott jabs a finger at the ensign. "Listen, laddie, if I had been there things would've gone very differently,” he claims. Their banter is playful, there is no malice behind it, and Risa is struck by how mundane the whole scene seems. It’s exactly like a couple of tight-knitted friends joking on a night out. It feels surreal to be watching these heroes interacting so intimately. She can sense that she's not the only one feeling that way. Kezia has not uttered a word since the antique car pulls up. If Risa's allowed to use 21st century slang, the toddler is positively making heart-eyes at the crew. Risa can relate.

After Lieutenant Sulu finishes, the command crew takes turns introducing themselves. Captain Kirk, as expected, goes first. "My name is James Tiberius Kirk," he starts. "And my occupation is Demora's favorite uncle."

"Oi! That's not true!" Montgomery Scott slaps the captain's upper arm lightly.

"Alright, Scotty, we know she really liked that Enterprise toy you gave her. No need to brag," Nyota Uhura remarks.

"I was the one who bought her the squeaky shoes, y'know," Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy reminds them. “The very pair that she’s wearing right now.”

"If I may suggest a different opinion, my personal observations lead me to conclude that your hypothesis is incorrect," Mr. Spock says, hands behind his back.

This has to be some five-year-old's biggest dream, to be fought over by the command crew of the Enterprise who all want to be their favorite.

"Guys, guys!" Captain Kirk waves his hand, effectively silencing them. "Let's get back on track, shall we? Apologies, Miss...?"

"Risa Sulaeman," Risa stutters.

"Miss Sulaeman," Captain Kirk says smoothly, flashing her his most winning smile. It’s the same smile that brokers peace in hostile planets and also cures sadness, probably. 

Captain Kirk talks about his experiences as a captain on the USS Enterprise. He is diplomatic, downright empiric even. He’s careful to leave out the gory parts, dropping clever jokes right here and there to keep it kid-friendly. Everyone knows he died, sacrificed himself for the survival of his crew. Somehow, after being brought to life, he still finds the strength to smile. Risa wonders what has been keeping him sane—and realizes there are six reasons why, and they’re standing right in front of her.

*

On their first date after the Nero incident, Ben asks Hikaru to tell him stories about Jim Kirk. And then, when they go back to Ben's apartment, lying in bed together, Ben asks Hikaru to tell him stories about Pavel Chekov. About Spock, whose mother slips through his very fingers. About Montgomery Scott, working wonders on a ship after spending months on the freezing, dangerous planet of Delta Vega. About Nyota Uhura, facing down the worst of Klingons without flinching. About Doctor McCoy, working miracles through sheer force of will. It's his own way to somehow feel closer to Hikaru, understand a defining part of his life. The idea of meeting Hikaru's friends is daunting. They're all heroes of the Federation, and he's just... Ben. Full-time father, sometimes a gardener. He wishes sometimes that he can be among the stars, like Hikaru is, but times like this remind him of the best parts about being a civilian. He can just sit back and watch.

Pavel goes next. His age is closer to her students, and it makes him easier to be found lovable. Although it’s clear that everyone in this room adores all of them. He speaks of his childhood in Russia, how he came to be at the Academy, graduated and assigned to the best starship on the fleet at only seventeen. He encourages her students to pursue anything that they like—but especially physics. "Because physics is _wery_ cool," he says seriously, "did you know that physics was _inwented_ in—"

"—the minds of brilliant scientists eons ago," Hikaru interjects, clapping the ensign on the shoulder. Ben suppresses a laugh at the confused look on Miss Sulaeman's face. 

Nyota is softer, in a way that she never is on newspaper, trading the tough exterior for a sweet, velvety voice. Ben can tell everyone is a little thrown off by it. She speaks mostly of what her job entails, just like Spock, who clearly has trouble explaining things with terms that are understandable to five-year-olds. 

The ever-frowning Bones is smiling. He always smiles when there are children around. It makes Ben wonder if there's sadness hiding behind it, if he's longing for his daughter, wishing instead that this was Joanna's Career Day. He's brought along a medical tricorder and lets Demora's friends play with it. "Technically this is against the rules," Doctor McCoy stage-whispers to the circle of overexcited children. "So _sshh_ , okay?" He puts his index finger on his lips. The children giggle.

But if this is a competition to win the most attention, then Scotty definitely wins it as when he brandishes a broken-off piece of the Franklin. "This is technically even more illegal," he says. "But whoever answers my question correctly gets to bring this lassie home!"

The children, presented with a shiny, hypothetically illegal object, positively riot.

-

Ben stares fondly at his husband and his daughter. Hikaru, with Demora perched on his hip, is currently fielding questions from overexcited five-year-olds who idolize him as their parents look on from the side, possibly jealous. Hikaru’s not the only one doing surrounded by a herd of children. Each member of the Enterprise crew has a little group of admirers surrounding them, vying for their attention. It’s amusing and adorable. Especially seeing Spock awkwardly trying to maneuver his way around toddlers who have not yet understood the meaning of personal bubble. For all that Hikaru hates being called a hero, he is undeniably a part of a celebrity group.

“Mr. Jung,” Miss Sulaeman greets him, smiling knowingly.  “Or should I say Mr. Sulu?”

Ben smiles back. “Mr. Jung is fine.”

“I guess I can see why you didn’t change your last name,” Miss Sulaeman comments. “If I’d known who your husband is, your house would’ve been drowning in fanmails.”

Ben raises his eyebrows. Realizing what she just confessed, Miss Sulaeman’s face turns red. She clears her  throat. “Uh, anyway. Thank you for making this the best Career Day in the history of Career Days,” Miss Sulaeman starts again, “I never planned to leave Earth, not until Narada. I’m just a teacher, you know? Obviously, everyone wants to join Startfleet, so did I, but money is tight. Besides, people from third-world countries like me could never make it. But when I see him, someone who looks so much like me—best pilot in the ‘fleet. It’s inspiring, you know what I mean?”

When he met Hikaru, all those years ago in San Francisco, his dreams are of a fulfilling mundane life on Earth. He doesn’t dream of the universe. His family’s not rich, he knows better than to dream of enlisting at Startfleet, let alone space travel. Hikaru has the stars in his veins and when he tells Ben he loves him, he injects some of them into Ben’s bloodstream. And now Ben's here.

“I know exactly what you mean,” Ben answers, can’t help the soft smile that shows up on his face if he wants to.

Ben trains his eyes back to Hikaru. The circle around him has dissipated, Demora’s classmates are running towards Jim, who has started a game of Spaceship against Nyota. He’s teaming up with Spock and Bones, naturally. Which left Pavel and Scotty to take Nyota’s side. Both of the teams are trying their best to convince kids to take their respective sides.

The most respected command crew in Starfleet is currently turning five-year-olds against their own friends. Ben is not surprised at this turn of events, he’s more or less used to the crew’s unique brand of crazy.

“Dumpling!” Jim is calling Demora, hand outstretched at the toddler. “Join my team! And you shall have victory!” He cackles dramatically, making Demora giggle.

“Join mine, young princess,” Nyota coos. “We have superior resources and an endless supply of dilithium!”

“We also have free candies,” Pavel adds, dangling a pack of Snickers from his hand. Ben has no idea how he comes to acquire it.

“No, you don’t,” Bones rolls his eyes, snatches the pack of diabetes from the ensign. “And don’t give these kids too much sugar!”

Demora seems absolutely torn, not wanting to pick between Jim and Nyota. She looks towards Hikaru, silently asking for help. Hikaru grins mischievously. “None of you are getting Demora on your team,” Hikaru declares. “Demora’s my ship’s captain. Who else wants to join?”

“Daddy!” Demora yells. She makes grabby hands at Ben. “Miss Sulaeman, too!”

“Me?” Miss Sulaeman points at herself, looking pleased and a little bit flustered that Demora specifically chooses her. Ben places his hand on her upper arm and nudges her to where Demora’s ‘ship’ is located. Demora is standing in the center, giving a motivational speech to her crew with a serious look. “We’re up against tough enemies,” Demora is saying severely. “So we have to give it all we’ve got!”

Her friends cheer. There’s even Kezia somewhere in there, who Ben knows has been bothering Demora for the past few days. He supposes everyone would want to be friends with the coolest girl in Yorktown.

Ben catches Hikaru's eyes and gives him a smile. “Starfleet’s next best pilot?” He jokes, tilting his head in Demora’s direction.

“Next best captain,” Hikaru corrects. Ben’s smile widens.

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on [tumblr](mighty-poffertjes.tumblr.com) and let's talk about sulu <3


End file.
